The filibuster, which for most of its history was mainly a tool for oppressing black people by stopping anti-lynching laws and civil rights legislation, has now turned into a tool for routine legislative nihilism. The latest example is Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) threatening to filibuster the debt limit so it requires 60 votes. From The [...]

As expected Speaker John Boehner (R) has folded on the debt limit. Despite spending weeks on plans to try to “get something” for their debt limit increase vote House Republicans have finally decided to bring a clean increase to the floor on Tuesday. The bill should pass easily with bipartisan support and this idiotic piece [...]

The Republican leadership seems to have logically realized the debt limit provides them no real leverage, but like a spurned teenager the House Republican caucus is just not emotionally mature enough to accept reality yet. As a result, their attempts to “get something” for the debt limit vote are getting increasing weird and pathetic. From [...]

It is time for Republicans to simply stop embarrassing themselves with this nonsense. They are now thinking about threatening not to raise the debt limit unless they get some modest demands. From the Washington Post: Several House members told The Washington Post on Monday that Republican leaders have narrowed their list of possible debt-limit strategies [...]

It appears enough of the Congressional Republicans realized the debt limit is not a point of leverage over President Obama so their best option is to just quickly raised it. We will likely get a clean increase with relatively little drama. From Politico: The most senior figures in the House Republican Conference are privately acknowledging [...]

Last year we experienced a truly do nothing Congress and it was awful. When Congress didn’t meet its bare minimum requirements the government shut down and the entire economy was threatened. Everything from planning ahead vacations to milk prices becomes problematic. This year though is shaping up be a do almost nothing Congress. The government [...]

Republican leaders have got themselves stuck in a weird rhetorical position. Some in their base are still convinced the debt limit is a great leverage point, but it was only ever useful because President Obama was trying to come up with a clever way to get Democrats to betray their base in a grand bargain. [...]

The next deadline for the debt limit will come in late February according to a new letter from Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew. From the letter: As you know, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 suspended the statutory debt limit through February 7, 2014. When that suspension period ends, the United States will again reach the debt limit. The [...]

To deal with the fear of Congress possibly holding the debt limit hostage Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants to permanently give the power to the President. From the Hill: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will propose legislation that would make permanent a plan to take the decision to raise the country’s debt limit out of Congress’s [...]